


Lovetap

by Mint_plant



Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Angst, One-Sided Attraction, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-10
Updated: 2016-09-01
Packaged: 2018-08-08 00:24:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7735825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mint_plant/pseuds/Mint_plant
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lucas Friar has a crush on Maya Hart.</p>
<p>Maya Hart will do anything for money.</p>
<p>So what happens when this two collide?</p>
<p>Or what happens when Lucas is in need of a favor that may expose his feelings for his unrequited crush who may not be as unrequited as he thought?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Pusher

**Author's Note:**

> New story, Lets see where this goes.

 

 

**1 YEAR AGO**

“No one bets against Maya Hart!!” Zay was trying to stop Lucas and failing on his attempt.

“Let go of me Zay” Lucas held one fist in the air.

Zay quickly retreated back to the rest of the people; everyone was cheering and screaming around. Lucas moved to the end of the crowd where only a girl and two boys stood. The girl was smiling, sure of herself, too sure.

Lucas went to stand near the other boy, now he was facing the girl. Her smile was barely there now, only the ghost of it. He held his breath; all his previous bravery leaving him when he must need it.

“Friar” The boy nodded.

“Mathews” he nodded back.

The boy beside Maya spread his arms to the sides.

“Guess we are complete. Remember, not take backs”

“Did you hear that Mathews?” Maya said.

“Yeah, I heard your boyfriend just right”

The boy stood between Josh and Maya, a faulty sense of protection. Lucas was more scared for the boy than her.

“No need to keep dragging things” The boy licked his lips, and then turned back to Maya, placing a reassuring arm on her shoulder.

Lucas saw Josh tensed by his side.

“I won’t come save you when things go wrong this time Maya” Josh shouted.

Maya looked back. “I don’t need you anymore josh” her tone was so dried of emotion, not a trace of anger or love, just pure disinterest.

Lucas patted Josh shoulder. Glad it wasn’t him the one Maya was talking to.

“Thanks” Josh said.

“I did it for Riley” he lied.

His eyes traced Maya till she was lost in a sea of people.

 

 

 

**PRESENT**

“Lucas… LUCAS” Zay was shaking him.

Lucas woke up from his dazed at the third call of his friend. He was certain someone had plugged something from his brain, he wasn’t working right tonight, one of the reasons why he had wanted to stay home in the first place.

Zay was scowling at him, Zay never scowled unless there was something stinky in the air. And the only putrid smell was the one that came from puke. Lucas was starting to understand what Farkle meant when he had said; high school parties were puke pools. However, Zay scowling was definitely coming from a different place of hatred.

“Let’s be fast, I really don’t want to be here” Zay covered his nose and they moved around the crowded hall.

The house was packed with drunken underage students, hard to find the right student in this crowd, but not impossible.   

“Maybe we should split” Lucas nudged Zay.

“OH no! That’s what people say on scary movies just before some psycho decide to murder the black kid” Zay motioned at himself “You are white so you are safe, but me!?”

“We meet back outside, K?” Lucas said to Zay leaving with a new wave of people rushing to the other side of the room.

He tried to keep his back close to the wall, that way he wouldn’t get swallow in whatever the hell that crowd was. He recognized half of his school, but there was also students from other schools and to his dismay some college students.

Lucas searched around, after a full tour on the first floor he went to the second floor. Upstairs everyone was slightly busy, people making out and using any surface for support. Lucas diverted his eyes and escaped to the first open the door.

“HEY FIND YOUR OWN ROOM” A guy shouted from inside.

Lucas didn’t even try to close the door. He tried the next door, closed. Where was she? he went to the end of the hall, tried the door, and cursed when this one also didn’t open. What if she was inside, with some guy, drunk and being pried of her consent?

He took a deep breath, not allowing his thoughts to go there, yet. The next door was open, he could see a light inside.

Someone was sleeping, covered by a bunch of coats. He moved closer to the bed. Brown hair peered from the nest of clothes. He started pushing clothes aside, trying to free the person.

A boys face, smile wide and eyes tightly close. He knew this face, the hair too short to be Riley though.

“Are you gonna kiss my boyfriend?”  A voice asked from him, close enough to whisper to his ear.

He was holding his breath; he hadn’t heard the door opening.

“I said…” He felt a hand gripping his arm. “Are you going to kiss my boyfriend?” The girl forced Lucas to turn around, to face her.

He tried to swallow, tried talking but he was fixed on his spot, staring directly to Maya´s blue eyes.

“He´s not my type” He blurted out.

Maya squinted at him for a second and then laughed. Her hand was still holding Lucas; he could feel the warm spot against his cold skin. He had forgotten his coat when he had left in a hurry. Not a smart idea during winter.

Maya moved to the side, looking down at Charlie. There was a fondness in her face that Lucas had only ever seen when it came to her boyfriend. He knew he was blushing hard; he dipped his chin to his chest, trying to hide his face.

Maya pursed her lips, a small crease on her brow. “You are freaking cold” She rubbed the hand already pressed to his arm, Lucas arm started to heat up.

“Not going to work” She shook her head.

Maya took her coat off; now that he looked closely he could see this coat was too big for her, probably Charlie´s. He was about to complain, but something about Maya´s glare and steady hand on his arm made him stay quiet.

“Good” She said once Lucas was wearing the coat.

“Now you are going to be cold” Lucas pointed out.

Maya shrugged.

Lucas stood for a moment, trying to come up with words to say. He was blank and then he remembered what he was doing here.

Maya was taking a coat from the piled; it fitted nicely, her coat or someone else’s. She pressed a hand to Charlie’s cheek, and then after a second of hesitance smacked the boy hard.

Lucas flinched, that probably hurt.

“AAAAH…” Charlie was disoriented for a second and then, he cupped his cheeks. “Not necessary” he said to Maya.

Maya was rolling her eyes, sorting again through the pile of coats.

“Which one is yours? can’t remember what you were wearing”

Lucas extended his arms, inspecting the coat. So it didn’t belong to Charlie.

 “Green one with the patches” Charlie gazed at Lucas, a sleepy look on his face.

“The one that looks like it belongs to your dead grandpa?”

“That one” Charlie smiled at Lucas and waved.

Lucas mouthed a hey, maybe this was the best moment to escape. He took a step towards the door.

“You. Wait” Maya finally found Charlie´s coat, she tossed it to the boy.

Lucas stilled in his place. Maya walked right in front of him.

“Charlie moved it, we need to help charming here to find his princess” Maya said over her shoulder, eyes trained on Lucas.

Lucas really needed Maya to look somewhere else; her eyes were making him feel self-conscious.

“We are going to be late” Charlie complained but quickly joined them.

 

***

Lucas walked behind them. He had tried to walk beside them but the hall was too thin for three. Charlie´s arm was resting on Maya´s shoulder, an easy posture. He wanted to be somewhere else, not playing third wheel with his childhood crush.

As if Maya could sense his thoughts, she turned her head back.

“I know where she is, don’t worry”

He nodded, apparently the only thing that he still remembered how to do.

They walked to the end of the hallway, and crossed to the right. Lucas saw how Maya produced a key and unlocked the door.

The room was small with a pink puff inside; Riley was sleeping on it, a small trace of drool on her shin. Lucas rushed in; he picked Riley and carried her out of the room.

“Thanks” He said to Maya.

She cocked her head to the side. “It was nothing” she dropped the key to her feet.

“Still, thanks” As much as he wanted he couldn’t exactly say, thanks for talking to me when I’m obviously nothing to you.

They walked back together, this time Lucas on the rear. He pushed people aside and finally spotted the door.

Outside it felt like a different world, the music was muffed by the walls. Instead the sound of the night and cars cradled them on their arms. He sat on the pavement floor, letting Riley rest on his lap.

Zay was still inside; he would have to wait for his friend.

“That’s why I don’t drink” Charlie was looking down at Riley.

“Sure babe” Maya pinched Charlie´s cheek.

Lucas looked to the side, he couldn’t, didn’t want to see this.

“Hey, you are going to be okay?” Maya asked.

“Yeah, I’ll just wait here for my friend” He said, not daring to see Maya.

He heard steps on the pavement, a hand steadying his face to look at her. Maya was crouching right in front of him, grabbing his face.

Lucas could hear his heart rattling fast inside of him. He was afraid Maya could hear it.

“No fever… Your face is really red though”

Was it possible to die of embarrassment? He dared to look at her.

“It’s the cold” he muttered.

Maya was so still, watching Lucas as he watched her.

Charlie cleared his throat. “We are going to be late Maya”

Maya closed her eyes, Lucas could perfectly see the way her long eyelashes rested on her cheeks. Maya let go of him and stood.

“Right” she said.

“See you at school Lucas” Charlie said. He was holding Maya´s hand.

Lucas held his hand high.

He watched Maya and Charlie running across the street, their hands keeping them close. Lucas knew that sinking feeling on his chest too well, jealousy was an old friend.

 

 

**2 YEARS AGO**

“I pay her twenty bucks and she did it!” Farkle was bemused by his, according to him, bad boy move.

Zay just raised his eyebrows in a perfect line while Lucas shook Farkle´s shoulder. He didn’t have to share his opinion with them; they already knew he was against the favors.

Sometimes he wondered how easy the way out was. He could go to her and pay her just to get this over with. Zay had proposed this plan a few months ago, told him, that sometimes the best way to get over with feelings was to just try things out, only to realize they weren’t so good.

But Lucas was scared. What if he kissed his childhood crush, only to find out it was nothing, or worst, only to find out his feelings were real and not just a stupid crush that he had harbored for the girl that had locked him up on a closet in 6th grade.

Some girls ran straight to them, they were screaming and the moment they saw Lucas their eyes shinned with hope.

“RILEY! THEY…”

He didn’t wait for the girls to finish. The three of them sprinted to the source of convulsion in school. Lucas saw students surrounding the girl’s bathroom. He pushed students aside, trying to get to the center of the problem.  

Riley was down on the floor, hugging herself. Two seniors were looking down at her, one had Riley´s bag on her arms, and she had spilled its content all over the floor.

Lucas could feel anger rising on him.

There was a flash of blonde hair, someone pushing him aside, dropping him to the floor.

Lucas scrambled to his feet with Zay´s help.

His breath caught on his throat.

Maya was standing in front of Riley, she had a bat with her, and she gave it a swing tentatively over the two girl’s heads who chided from the possible blow.

“Head or window?” Maya asked.

“What?” One of the girls asked

“I said, head or window. Not really hard to answer” Maya said slowly.

The other girl whispered something to her friend´s ear.

“You are all talk Hart” The girl said, regaining her confidence.

Maya laughed.

The students around Lucas started shuffling aside. Farkle kneeled beside Riley, helping her get up.

The principal was coming this way, Lucas heard some students saying.

“Give me that now!” Josh Mathews showed up, running from the other side of the hall. He was breathing hard.

“No” Maya said to josh.

Josh didn’t wait for Maya to give in; he struggled with her till he was holding the bat away from her.

 “What´s going on right now? Everyone to class, except for you two Mr. Mathews and Miss Evans to my office right now!” The principal´s tone was enough to send half of the students running.

Lucas and his group of friends kept their ground however. Riley was hugging Farkle, hiding her face.

“I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING” The girl, Miss Evans complained.

The principal taped his forehead. “Miss Evans your car was vandalized this morning. For what we can see” He looked at Josh, holding the bat. “I think we found the culprit”

The girl started screaming, pointing at Maya.

Maya turned away, her eyes looked empty. Josh reached for her but she pulled away, stomping down the hallway.

Her shoulder crashed with Lucas arm as she passed by, she stopped for a second, like she was considering apologizing but kept walking.

 

**PRESENT**

Lucas tried really hard not to scream at his parents, in the end, it was inevitable, almost as inevitable as his breakup with Riley.

His mother didn’t take a, No, for an answer and his father, who usually comply to his mother wishes wouldn’t jump in to his help.

“You can’t do this to me” He said trying to keep his temper down.

“Lucas, she´s your childhood friend!”

“SO WHAT?”

“Volume” His father commented, playing referee.

“We won’t discuss this anymore. You are going to pick her up on Monday and be your nicest”

“You can’t make me” He hissed

“Excuse me?” Her mom raised an eyebrow.

This would have been a perfectly good time for Lucas to stop.

“I. Said. No.”

“This is my house, you live under my roof. And if I tell you to do something you will do so”

“Oh yeah. How about I don’t”

His father drop his newspaper, probably waiting for Lucas to get a hint.

Sadly he didn’t

“Go to your room”

Lucas rose from his seat.

“Apologize. Now” Her mother didn’t have to raise her voice to be intimidating.

Lucas considered apologizing, then he saw the way his father just sat there staring at him, and he couldn’t.

He walked straight to the door.

“The car will be waiting on Monday”

He stopped. Took a deep breath and shouted something he would regret for the rest of his life.

 

***

“YOU SAID WHAT!?” Zay was jumping on his seat.

Lucas cradled his face on his arms.

“I shouldn’t have! I´m grounded for life”

Zay laughed and jumped some more around the cafeteria.

“I didn’t think you had it in you” Zay pressed a finger to the corner of his eyes. “I´m so proud, let me hug you”

“Fuck off” Lucas pushed Zay away from him.

“Lucas, this is your chance to go all rebellious for once. Maybe this way Maya will finally fall in love with you”

Lucas scrambled to his feet, pressing his hands against his friend mouth. He looked around the cafeteria but no one was paying attention to them.

Zay was trying to talk.

“I´m going to let you talk. But said that name one more and I will not be responsible for my actions”

Zay nodded.

Lucas let him go.

“Asshat” Zay said.

Lucas dismissed him with his hand.

“I hope you and Missy end up marrying and having tons of babies”

“Take that back!”

“Never”

 

***

“Hey, friar!!! Whatsssup man” A guy from upstairs bellowed.

Lucas rubbed the back of his neck, already self aware of his presence in the science building. He waved his hand slowly, hoping the student would let him go without approaching. Another student clashed with the guy up there, he scowled and then looked down, recognizing Lucas at once.

“FRIAAAR! Hiiii” The guy said shyly.

Lucas repeated his previous gestured and quickly plunged to the next hall. He didn’t want a parade of students tracing him around; he wouldn’t be able to handle that much pressure this early in the morning.

Farkle´s door was open. He knocked before coming in.

“Hey, Farkle?”

The room was in a complete mess, crumpled papers around the garbage basket, glassed scattered on the floor.

His friend was seating at the end of his desk, someone was lying beside him, covered head to toe with a purple poncho. Lucas knew who that small bundle was.

“Riley, I’m not mad at you. Come on it´s been a week” He went to stand near them.

Farkle gave him a compassionate look.

“You are just lying to make me feel better!” Riley bellowed, her voice muffled by the cover

“Riley, I´m serious” Lucas said as gently as he could.

Riley peered from her hideout. Her big brown eyes masked by tears.

“Oh god, Riley”

She brushed her tears away.

“I wasn’t crying!”

“Riley” Farkle said with a small tone of judgment if the guy could ever hold any when it came to her Riley.

***

Maya was sitting outside detention. Strangely enough she was never in but always waiting for someone else. Lucas took this as his opportunity to approach her.

He slide down next to her, praising himself for his smoothness. Maya peered at him from the book she was reading, her eyes were red like she had just cry.

Shit shit, this was no going well.

She scrunched her nose and then pulled a napkin from her bag, pressing hard on her already swollen nose.

Then she raised an eyebrow at Lucas, in expectance.

“I..-

“Yeah?” Her throat sounded clogged; maybe she had caught a cold the other night.

“I brought your coat” Lucas said.

Maya didn’t react; she blinked and waited for some source of explanation.

Maybe she didn’t remember.

Lucas got the coat out of his backpack. Showing it to Maya was probably the best way to illustrated her about her lost memories.

“Oh, that” Maya gave him a side smile, she looked tired just from talking to Lucas.

“Yeah, I thought you would want it back. I even took it to the dry cleaner”

Maya smirked.

“How much do I own you?”

Lucas shook his head slowly in confusion.

“I didn’t.. I that’s not why .  I” His throat was dry

“Maya!” Charlie came out from the classroom. When he spotted Lucas his ever present smile turned even bigger. “Hey, Lucas!”

Lucas waved at Charlie.

Maya stood from the floor, grabbing her messenger bag and book. Lucas didn’t find it in him to stand just yet.

Charlie wrapped one arm around Maya, he pressed his other hand against her fore head.

“Whoah, you got a fever running. Better get going” Charlie shrugged at Lucas. “See ya”

“Wait. I” He moved fast, knowing he only had a few seconds before they left. He grabbed a blister from the package. “I had a fever last week. Still got some medicine with me” He handed the blister to Maya who didn’t make a reach for it.

She watched Lucas, her eyes were half open.

“Lucas, thanks but you don’t have to…” Charlie said

Maya took a step forward grabbing Lucas hand and placing something on it, while she took the blister and the coat.

Her hands were warm and calloused. One second there and the next gone.

He watched the same hand interlacing fingers with Charlie, the two of them already walking away.

Just as Lucas thought they were gone, he heard Maya´s voice.

“See you on Monday, huckleberry”

Lucas heart stilled. He looked up at Mayas face, then he looked back at his hand.

There was 50 $ dollar bill on it, and a small drawing of a flower.

***

“Lucaaaas Friar! No way it’s you” Missy stood tall on her toes and placed a very sticky kiss on Lucas cheeks, two kisses, like that was necessary.

“Good to see you too Missy, you look…” Like a spoiled rich girl that fell on a bucket of pink paint.

“Keep it. We can talk about me later” She pushed one very heavy bag on his hands and moved to open the driver’s side door. “I´m driving!”

Thankfully Lucas didn’t die, but he spent all the way to the restaurant spread on his seat holding to anything that would offer a good hold in case Missy decided for the third time her lane was the other one.

“I´m paying” She said as they sat.

Lucas had to complain because his dad had taught him to not let a lady ever pay, especially when this girl was according to his father “his future” he hadn’t actually used those words but they had been heavily implied the day before.

The place Lucas had picked, or actually Zay had told him to go to, was a mix between really expensive but still accessible food. The place was big enough, with arks around that separated each section of tables. Vines and flowers were placed around the big wooden structure to give it a lighter touch.

He was more interested on the violets to his right than Missy talking about her trip around Europe.

“I misseeeeed you soooo so much. You have no idea how boring London was without you….”

Lucas zoomed out as Missy spoke; his eyes darted to the window, just as a blonde girl walked right beside it. She was wearing a black apron with a name clipped on her chest.

 

 

**1 YEAR AGO**

 “Hello, my name is Maya Hart and I´m an alcoholic” Maya breathed out.

Lucas looked up from his phone, it was the first rehearsal but somehow it felt like he had already come here for the past two weeks, clustered in a room with drama students and a small portion from the detention group. Lucas didn’t exactly plan to be here at all, he had only agreed to help Farkle with painting and carrying some of the “heavy stuff”, since Farkle didn’t want to pull a muscle out, which Lucas thought impossible considering they were only carrying tubs of paints.

He taped back on his phone, on hopes that Zay would answer him fast, he needed some distraction from this hell hole. Especially after professor Turner had showed up carrying Maya by her backpack, he had called her a very terrible liar and left her to sit in the scripts section.

To be fair, Lucas kind of pitied her, the scripts sections was were the “talented” kids would sit down and proofread the old scripts since they were trying to rewrite one of the older plays and make it a bit more up to date. Only that these kids were more interested in skim reading than actually making an effort.

Strangely Maya had taken the role to read out for them. Lucas didn’t know why or how she had ended up in that position, her sitting in the middle of a circle as she read aloud.

The students would crack each time Maya added an accent to a new character, or decided to completely change the lines to fit her own storyline. They had gone almost through an entire play this way, and as much as Lucas had been bored for the past hour now he was really enjoying hearing her read.

Now

Maya had just simply stopped reading, her lips were a thinned line and the way she kept swallowing down like she couldn’t breathe made Lucas stand on his feet fast. He pushed one of the vacant chairs aside to make room to the center.

“Maya can you help me with this?” He kneeled in front of her, trying to keep a friendly smile on his face.

Maya´s eyes widen, she looked from the script to Lucas for a second before nodding.

Some of the students booed as Maya and Lucas left their little meeting.

***

“That actually looks like a cloud!” Lucas practically yelled.

Maya laughed at his side, she was painting some of the background for the play. Her hands were skillful, holding the brush slowly as she blurr some of the white lines Lucas had left behind after trying to paint clouds.

“It´s not so hard”

“Not so hard! Are you kidding me?”

Maya let the brush aside, an offered Lucas a perfectly raised eyebrow.

“Let me see your hand”

Lucas extended his arm, letting his palm up, he was slightly shaking.

Maya pressed one finger on the middle of his palm, barely making any pressure. Lucas shut out everything except that small circle on his hand. His hand started to shake real badly this time.

“Just as I thought” Maya said as she rolled her eyes and pulled out her finger.

Lucas drop his hand down.

“You got shaky hands, you are even shakier than a hula hoop”

“I do not..! Ok maybe I do but that’s only because…” The words were there, only because you make me nervous, he closed his mouth instead.

“No excuses hula hoop, now watch me closely I know I can look very impressive while painting” A crooked smile edge her mouth as she took back the forgotten brush.

Lucas joined Maya after a few minutes.

Lucas cloud became stiff lines that wouldn’t mix well with the blue on the back, while Maya´s looked almost realistic. After she was done with hers she would switch to work on his, and like that 1 hour went by fast, he didn’t want to be dismissed just yet.

Maya cleared her throat; he had been lost staring at her as she fixed his last try of a cloud.

“About before, what you did back there…” She scrunched her nose, her lips trembling as she struggled to come up with her next words.  “That was really nice of you”

Lucas scratched the back of his neck.

“I…”

She looked directly at his eyes; they were so blue and full of something Lucas couldn’t understand. She opened her mouth to say something just as the door to their right opened.

 “Maya Hart, principal’s office now” A student, a senior more exactly, hissed at Maya.

Maya closed her eyes and shook her head; she gave Lucas a smile before turning to the senior.

“What did I do this time Laurel?” Maya was already grabbing her backpack. “What did he told you?” she asked with a mocking tone.

At the he Laurel flinched, her hand flashed hard on Mayas cheek, Lucas heard the collision between the hand and flesh. But Maya didn’t react, instead she just placed her hand against the now reddish cheek.

Maya walked to the door, Laurel on toe, speaking to her ear, loud enough for Lucas to hear her last words.

“…. Half of the team… next time you decide to makeup with my boyfriend…”

The door closed behind them.

 

**NOW**

“Sooooooo are you seeing someone? I know I left you pretty heartbroken after I left which is completely understandable, but I talked to your mom and I think this would be a great time for the two of us to.--  “

Lucas interrupted her, the rage inside of him always a good fuel for lies.

“Actually, I am seeing someone”

Missy laughed, but once she saw Lucas wasn’t laughing with her stop.

“No need to lie to me! We are friends after all”

“I am not lying”

“oooh Lucas you know I won’t judge you. I totally get it, after me it must have been hard…”

“Here is the menu” the waitress handed over the leather polished menus, blocking the view of Missy.

Lucas looked up, a familiar face, not any familiar face.

Maya Hart.

“Actually, Missy. I would like you to meet my girlfriend” He smiled at Maya who raised an eyebrow at him.

Lucas quickly grabbed her hand, interlacing their fingers at the same time he sent her a pleading smile. It took three seconds.

One second for Maya to straighten up beside Lucas giving Missy a full view of the two of them.

One second for Maya´s face to shift into a gentle smile.

And one last second for Missy to take all this in.

 

 

 

 


	2. Dazzle

 

 

**2 YEARS AGO**

“It’s just a blow job,” Maya said with such and ease that Lucas almost forgot they were in the library.

“It´s not just a blow job,” Josh hissed back.

School grounds anyone?

 Lucas really wished an earthquake would hit New York at this precise moment, because he definitely didn’t want to hear Josh and Maya talk about blow jobs as he tried to study for his geometry exam.

“What´s your problem?” Maya was finally catching up to Josh tone.

“Just answer my question Maya,” Josh said. “Did you or did you not give Tom Becker a blow job last night?”

And Lucas was gone, hundreds of mile away lost in an equilateral triangle that he couldn’t for the love of god figure out its proportion.

Anytime now, Lucas commanded a deaf god.

Lucas heard Maya laughing and then her icy tone cutting right through everyone who was ears dropping in this conversation.

“What if I did?”

Josh bolted from his seat, tumbling down some books and getting a killer look from the librarian.

This is why Lucas didn’t like studying in the library, too much drama.

 

**PRESENT**

Missy bolted from her seat and Lucas rushed right behind her. Forgetting Maya and how he had just declared her his girlfriend. He had just wanted to mess up with Missy, with his parents, with any source of confidence they had put in this meeting with him and Missy.

Because now he knew for sure that him and Missy getting together was always going to be a giant ploy between their families, now more than ever. And he hated how easily this bothered him, because it shouldn’t, he had known for a long time than him and Missy were always in this kind of unofficial thing.

But that had been before Missy had fled to London, leaving him with the closest to a broken heart.

He wanted that unofficial thing to be over for good.

Missy was standing outside the restaurant her back pressed against the glass. She didn’t look particularly upset but the way she kept picking at her nails left Lucas out of any doubts.

He edged closer, till he was standing right in front of her. Missy had gotten taller, not taller than him but where there had been inches now there was only an inch. He could clearly see her brown eyes, flecked by gold and her long black lashes.

Missy had always been beautiful, the kind that never had to be subjected to puberty or acne, the kind that walked gracefully and with a confidence that couldn’t be shaken by anyone. Lucas had always admired that about her, he sometimes wondered if things could have been different between them.

Because even after everything that happened between them she was still old cozy memories, of escaping from a family meeting to go running to their giant back yard, or up in a room. She was stolen kisses shared under a fireplace, hands brushing under a table, laughs after drinking too much. Missy was full of good memories to him that somehow had turned into bitter ones.

 Lucas blinked fast, letting all those memories drift away. He looked at Missy as she was now.

His friend and a very pissed one for that matter.

“Tell me it’s a joke,” Missy said.

Lucas opened his mouth to talk, to tell her the truth, but Missy kept talking, ignoring him.

“Because I didn’t come here just to see you fool with any low average girl so you can get back at me.” She looked at his eyes. “Now I´m back and I want what we had! I have no idea what’s on your mind to go out with some waitress, come on Lucas, you are almost an adult no need to fool around when your future its right in front of you”

And by his future, Missy meant her.

Lucas stomach tighten, his previous anger coming back.

“I think you should take a cab back, or take the car. I really don’t care.” Lucas didn’t wait for Missy´s response he simply turned on his feet and throttled away from her.

From his perfectly planned future.

He felt like he was going to be sick just thinking about it. What did Missy really want, or why did she suddenly want him?

 

**5 YEARS AGO**

“They are supposed to skip.”

“What?” Lucas looked up from where he was seating, he almost jumped to the pond when he realized who was standing above him.

Her cheeks were bright red and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail.

“You don’t know how to do it?” Maya raised an eyebrow. “My dad taught me, give give!”

Lucas complied handing over the rest of his rocks. Maya took them an after a good minute of her going over them, she found the right one.

“Here.” She showed Lucas the rock. “The bottom has to be flat”

Lucas nodded; more interested in Maya´s band aid covered fingers than the actual rock.

Maya took several steps back and then with the rock ready on her hands, she moved towards the pond, tossing the rock.

Lucas watched as the rock skipped away from them, the water creating small halos with each shock.

Maya was grinning; she pumped her chest and tossed a rock to Lucas.

“Try now.” She encouraged him. When Lucas didn’t move she kneeled down behind him, grabbing him by his armpits and forcing him up.

Maya´s hands were really cold, enough to sent shivers down his back. He accepted the stone, his hand brushing with Maya´s fingers.

“Now take a few steps back and rush forward but don’t de dumb enough to fall on the pond,” Maya said behind him.

Lucas did as she said only that at the last moment he kept running, he could feel the cold water on his feet, getting to his knees. Maya was laughing behind him.

She screamed, “Don´t forget to toss the rock!!”

Lucas did it, with all his strength. In front of him the rock skipped as before only this time Lucas turned to look at Maya´s face instead of the water.

She was still laughing, her eyes shut tight. Lucas realized in that moment he really liked hearing her laughing, it made his stomach go warm.

Lucas pumped his fists in the air and Maya did the same.

**PRESENT**

Lucas waited outside the restaurants back door. Probably creepy, but he didn’t have it in him to go back in to talk to Maya to clear things out.

In the end Missy had taken the car with her.

He checked his phone for the fifth time; he had 15 missed calls and 1 message. His father didn’t like texting, so that he had made the effort to actually go through the entire process made Lucas worry about the retaliation for his actions.

His phone marked 11:20.

After running away from Missy he had walked to the nearest café and plopped down drinking a frappe latte with matcha, Zay´s recommendation. Subjected to boredom Lucas had even gone so far as to start reading one of Zay´s cheese romantic novels, apparently the protagonist was just like him, Zay´s words. Was his best friend seriously comparing him to a brooding millionaire with a past to be uncovered by his true love?

So now he was outside, waiting like a complete creep for the girl he definitely didn’t have a crush on to come out.

Lucas rested his forehead against the cold bricks, forgetting about possible infections or germs her mother would have been freaking out about.

Just as if Maya was somehow invoke each time Lucas was making a fool of himself the blonde leaned back on the wall.

“This is not what it looks like,” Lucas said almost automatically.

“Are you possibly banging your head because you got bored of waiting for me, and perhaps came to the realization that this is really creepy and now prefer to continue banging your head senseless rather than talking to me.” Maya smirked

Lucas stop acting like a total creep, which only meant that with his head still pressed to the wall he turned to face Maya, she looked extremely amused.

“That’s a very good analysis.”

“You didn’t think this through did you?”

“I actually did” Lucas closed his eyes.

“If it makes you feel any better, which I doubt, you are far better than the guy who comes here every Wednesday to piss on the walls only because the owner stole his girlfriend in high school”

“Really?” Luca popped one eye open.

“Really.” Maya conceded with a small nod.

“I actually do feel better”

“Awesome, gotta go. Bye.” Maya waved and pushed away from the wall.

“You know who I am?” Lucas regretted saying that the moment he opened his mouth.

Maya had turned her head back, her body still facing away from him, ready to escape.

“You are the guy who just a few hours ago claimed I was his girlfriend”

“We go to school together,” Lucas deadpanned.

“Also that.” She clutched the side of her messenger bag.

Lucas waited for Maya to add something, to say anything, but the girl looked clueless as to what Lucas wanted from her.

He rubbed his neck, facing his eyes to the floor. He felt like he was being judge, not really the approach he was looking for when he came back to settle things with Maya.

“Back there… why did you help me?”

Maya pursed her lips.

“Last time I disagreed with a client I got fired. Not really into the whole…” She shrugged. “I like this job” she finished up quickly, changing abruptly from her previous sentence.

“Thanks,” Lucas said and was rewarded with another shrug.

“I really need to go.”

Lucas moved away from the wall, walking to stand next to Maya.

“I´ll walk you.”

Maya gave him a disgust look, rolling her eyes and raising her eyebrows high enough to almost reach her hairline.

“It’s late,” Lucas offered. “Not safe…”

Maya cut him.

“Keep it, just don’t do anything creepy. I do have in my possession a pepper spray and only if you get lucky a baton” 

Lucas threw his hands in the air in a defensive posture; Maya rolled her eyes again but didn’t complain when Lucas followed right behind.

Lucas walked right next to her, in another moment this would have been a dream come true. Not like he had never cross paths with her in the halls or walk in the same direction when they shared the same class. But this was different; Maya had kind of acknowledged his presence.

The only thing that bothered Lucas was how Maya treated him like they didn’t even know each other. He could be any stranger on the streets, not like they had study together for seven fucking years, seeing their faces every weekday for that long shouldn’t she at least remember his name?

Yet in the hallway she had called him by his old nickname.

Lucas looked down at Maya, the way her fists were clench and her eyes focused on the pavement ahead of them. It wasn’t like she was ignoring him, but she sent clear vibes of not wanting to talk to him.

“Do I own you something?” Lucas asked just to break the silence.

Maya stop walking and leaned her head back.

 

**2 YEARS AGO**

“Did you hear Maya almost got expelled last week at Mr. Turner´s class?” Riley commented as she took a giant bite from her PJ sandwich.

“Not surprise, she did press the alarm during first period this morning,” Zay said with a tone that suggested how he was highly impressed and kind of jealous.

Lucas whapped him.

“IT WAS HER?” Riley drop her sandwich

“Oh yeah, I saw her with Thor this morning. The bastard had a chemistry test at first period”

Farkle let out an irritated screech.

“Impossible, that thing is completely shut tight. Smackle and I inspected those things for our social studies class”

“Why?” Lucas asked, finally daring to speak.

“It was for science”

“Yeah yeah, explain me how you consider school security part of social studies.”

“Don´t be stupid Lucas, what´s more social than security in a school facility?” Farkle smiled.

“You are safe standing on the other side or I would smack you”

“He´s a bit feisty” This was directed to Zay, who had taken it upon himself to deal with Lucas mood changes since pre kinder.

“He got a C- on his geometry test.” Zay shrugged.

“AUch.” Riley jumped back in at the right time to asses Lucas with a disappointing look.

Lucas left from the cafeteria after Riley started talking about all the good inside of Lucas and how he should act more like himself instead of getting bad grades.

Was somehow getting bad grade something not Lucas appropriate?

He walked to the boy´s bathroom and stop on his tracks when he saw what was happening inside.

Maya had a senior penned up against one of the bathroom stools, he couldn’t see her face but the senior’s one made it very clear that whatever the hell was happening was not friendly appropriate.

“Pay it now,” Maya said without raising her voice, she didn’t have to.

The senior was shaking and for a moment Lucas considered jumping in and helping the guy out but then he opened his mouth, Lucas recognized that voice.

“The only reason you are mad it’s because we didn’t get to finish things last week. My parents are out today…”

Lucas stomach drop.

Maya punched the stool, close enough to the seniors head. The boy flinched and grabbed Maya´s wrist.

“I´m not playing. My money now or we have no deal,” Maya hissed.

The senior laughed and dugged out his wallet from his pants. Lucas saw the bills piled up, he turned around and exited the bathroom.

Lucas waited outside, not wanting to go back to the cafeteria nor rush to any of his classes. The bathroom door opened and Maya walked right past him, not even sparing a look his way, Lucas noticed how her lips were extremely red almost as if she had rubbed her mouth too many times or as she had been…

The senior closed the bathroom door, his eyes meeting with Lucas before walking the other way.

Tom Becker perfectly white teeth greet Lucas. His features had always been perfect except for his crooked nose, from one time Lucas had punched him a year ago on practice.

 

**PRESENT**

Maya laughed hard enough to make Lucas want to check if she was okay.

“How much eh?” Maya whipped a running tear from her eye. “That´s why you are worry, gosh, you could have just said it out front. No need to act all nice and gentleman like”

Lucas just watched her, not knowing what to say.

“You don’t own me anything.” Maya grabbed his arms and fixed him so he was facing her. “Got it? No need to worry, you can go know” She let her arms fall to her sides.

“I said…”

“Blah blah, I heard what you said and now you can do just as I told you without worrying about what may fall upon this despicable human being”

Lucas shook his head, was she even real?

“I´ll rather walk you.” He reaffirmed his thoughts.

Maya sighed.

“You are hella insistent”

“It´s late and…”

“The street are a dangerous place, I think I have heard this about a hundred times already.”

Maya ignored his next words and continue walking. He had to jog a bit to catch up; Maya was speeding up, probably in hopes of leaving him behind.

“You get creepier by the hour,” Maya said once Lucas was back on her side.

“Thanks”

Maya rolled her eyes as if on cue.

“Whatever. End of the line for us anyway.” She pointed to the subway entrance. “Time to descend to the pits of hell. Thanks for the walk weirdo”

Maya waved over her head as she rushed on the steps.

Lucas raised his voice.

“See you tomorrow,” He shouted.

Maya flicked him off and then she was down, away from him.

***

Lucas was used to his mother´s screams, was used to the way she would suddenly turn into a kraken each time she felt like his son was becoming a threat to her lifestyle and he was more than used to being told what he was supposed to do.

But what he wasn’t used to was his dad asking him to talk to him after such a big argument. He had actually expected from his father to stay up on his room till the fight was over and act like nothing had ever happened between his son and wife.

So now Lucas didn’t know what to do.

He honestly would have rather have him screaming at him than being this quiet and passive self.

His father lighted up a cigarette. Which as common as it was now, it strike Lucas as an odd thing from his dad.

Maybe his dad was also uncertain of what he was supposed to do at this moment.

Maybe his dad also felt like everything would be better off forgotten.

His dad rubbed his chin, the cigarette hanging from one of his hands.

“How is she like?” His father asked.

Lucas mind raced to all possible answers, only to realize he didn’t know who his father was talking about.

Did he mean Missy?

He opened his mouth and let it hang open without proffering any words.

His father shook his head slightly, a gesture of irritation and affection. Lucas closed his mouth.

“Your girlfriend son.”

Oh that.

Fuck.

Maybe now what’s the time to be honest?

“Well dad about that…”

“I understand why you didn’t want to say anything. After Riley, I know we haven’t really been the best when it comes to your…”

“Other girlfriends.” Lucas provided.

His father nodded with consideration, he took a drag from his cigarette.

Lucas wouldn’t actually ever dare to place their parents on the “Let me Introduce you to my parent’s category” they were fierce and sometimes came across as snotty whenever Lucas introduced a new girl to them.

It was part of their wanting the best for their son, but that didn’t change the fact that Lucas had develop a system to avoid them like the plague whenever he was seeing someone. It wasn’t personal except it was very personal.

“Dad it´s not…”

“Lucas we will support however you like, no matter how much it pains your mother to see such an amazing girl like Missy go away.” At least he hadn’t mentioned the part were Missy came with a very ludicrous family and the opportunity to join a big company. Maybe his dad was on his side after all.

“Dad”

“Let me finish son. This is an important year for you, after all you are graduating soon and moving away from home…”

In six months but Lucas didn’t interrupt.

“I will give you my full support on this Lucas.”

That was unexpected.

“Now go to bed, you have school tomorrow and we both know it’s past your bedtime.” His father turned his back to Lucas, making it obvious this conversation was over.

***

Lucas was fairly aware his phone was ringing but the responsible part of him was still fast sleep.

It wasn’t till the 10th time that he finally made a reach for it and was met by the scream of Zay´s voice.

“YOU MISSED FIRST PERIOD”

Shit

Lucas tossed his covers from his feet and opened his bathroom door.

“I fell asleep.” Lucas yawned to the phone.

“No kidding. Well don’t hurry up or anything. Principal got stuck on his office and they are getting the fireman here so they can get him out”

Lucas stopped brushing his teeth and made a noise that asked for explanations.

“Yeah kind of amazing, the professors don’t really know what to do, I mean they could try teaching but thank god they aint about to do so”

“Zay”

“Yeah man?”

“How?” Lucas spit

“Maya fucking Hart”

***

Lucas got to school by third period and things were still on the hooks about what to do. He saw the fire truck just outside the school building and was impressed by the two men carrying a giant ladder to probably bring the Principal out of his office.

The students were all piled up in the gymnasium. Lucas spotted Zay on the bleachers and started walking towards him only that no one seemed willing to move not matter how much Lucas pushed them.

He ended up having to sit down quickly when one of the professors walked straight to the podium. She was holding a speaker and her scowl was more telling than her next words.

“… After the next bell it would be expected from each of you to head to class…”

“IS IT TRUE THERES A COW INSIDE WITH PRINCIPAL?” A student shouted from the bleachers

“WE HEARD MOOING!”

“WHERES THE COW!” After the first one the shouting increase, everyone asking for the cow rather than the principal

“FREE THE COW!”

“NO CLASSES TILL THE COW IS FREE,” The person beside Lucas bellowed, helping to the storm of students that started chanting free the cow.

Lucas recognized that voice.

Charlie Gardner.

 

**1 YEAR AGO**

“Sooooooo, Mayas got a boyfriend now?” Riley asked josh.

Josh shook his head, not to deny it, but to express his dislike about the entire situation. Lucas just watched the encounter from Riley´s couch. He had come here to study, not discuss Josh Mathew’s love life.

“I don’t like the guy. At all”

“He is on my chemistry class, I talked to him and he didn’t sound bad at all. He´s really nice.” Riley smiled without knowing how hard those words were hitting her uncle.

“A nice guy?” Josh coughed. “That guy is a joke”

Lucas wanted to disagree, he had actually talked with Charlie, and as much as he wanted to hate the new transfer student. He couldn’t, he was actually a pretty decent guy.

Lucas scratched the back of his neck.

“He is cool josh.”

Josh looked at Lucas like he had just betrayed him. They weren’t even friends!

“Oh, you too?, how about you two go make flower crowns with him or some shit. Can’t believe this crap.” Josh stood from the couch.

“Come on Josh, don’t be like that!” Riley pouted at him.

“Like what Riley?”

“Mayaandyouneverevendated”

“What?”

“Nothing”

“Repeat it, please Riley”

Riley rubbed the bridge of her nose.

“I said you weren´t even dating Maya in the first place”

Josh didn’t even apologized when Riley´s father came running down the stairs because Josh had just tossed the remote control.

 

**PRESENT**

 “Charlie.” Lucas gaped at him.

“Oh, hi Lucas!” Charlie waved.

That boy could be right next to him and would still make waving look completely acceptable at such close distance.

“Did you…” Lucas mind felt muddy.

What was he even going to ask him?

“Did you eat breakfast? You missed first period but I guess we all did.” Charlie filled the silence, which wasn’t really silence since everyone around them was screaming about the whereabouts of a cow, but Lucas appreciated it the intent.

“No, I actually didn’t have time”

“Awesome, come with me then!” Charlie grabbed his arm, forcing him to stand up with him.

“We can’t leave!”

Charlie looked from the confuse professor standing on the podium to the roaring crowd of students and shrugged.

 

Maya was waiting for them on the hallway, surrounded by a group of students.

Her smile lighted up the moment her eyes met Charlie´s and then quickly turned sour when they continue on a beeline to Lucas.

“You got a tail.” Maya clapped her hands.

Charlie fist bumped the group of students. Lucas recognized some of them from his year.

His phone vibrated.

Zay:

**Whre are u????**

“Lucas is having breakfast with us.” Charlie kissed Maya on the top of her head.

She punched his shoulder, but Lucas could see the big smile spreading on her face.

“It’s late enough to call it brunch,” Maya said with a fake British accent.

“Brunch it is!” Charlie wrapped an arm around Maya.

Lucas texted Zay

**Save me!**

***

Being around Maya always made things worse for Lucas, not on an intentional way or at least Lucas hoped that wasn’t the case, because what really happened when he was around Maya on school, surrounded by people was that he suddenly became invisible for her. Maya didn’t even look his way once whenever he was around.

Last night she had talked to him, but that was far away from reality. Now he was back, and on reality Maya Hart pay as much attention to Lucas Friar as if he was a crack on the floor.

It dawned on Lucas five minutes after sitting with this weird crowd of people that Maya would ignore him unless he actually initiated talking for the two of them.

And Lucas didn’t find hard talking to Maya, yes he always found himself on an embarrassing situation whenever Maya was around but now things were normal for the two of them.

School cafeteria, nothing shady.

Daylight, better than midnight on a dumpster.

Support of another human presence, encouraging

Yet

Maybe Lucas was better off engaging her on awkward situations.

She was texting on her phone, sitting on one of the picnic tables outside the cafeteria, completely oblivious to her surroundings. Lucas joined her and the rest of the group on the table; he recognized Sarah and Darby from history and Yogi from practically all of his classes. There were other seniors and two juniors who were seating beside Maya.

Charlie was doing Charlie like stuff so Lucas thought this was as good as a chance was going to get.

He dropped his tray and one of the juniors moved but not before glaring at him.

Maya didn’t even pry her eyes from her phone when Lucas sat beside her legs; she was wearing tight pants that made Lucas wonder how circulation actually worked.

“Hey, about yesterday…” Lucas rubbed his hands.

Maya finally looked at him.

“Oh thank god you are bringing this up.” Maya smiled. “CHARLIE”

Lucas choked on nothing, was Maya planning to let his boyfriend beat him up for his actions?

“WHAT!” Charlie shouted from the line of people on the cafeteria, for some reason he had go back to the end of the line twice since they had walked in.

“BUY ME A BROWNIE!”

“OKAY!” Charlie sent an okay thumbs up.

Maya offered Lucas a shrug.

“What about yesterday?”

Did she?

“You know… I kind of used you and I thought it would be good for us to clear things”

Maya nodded and then went back to her phone.

Lucas waited

And waited.

Maya waved her hand to his face in dismissal.

“You can keep going, apologies and all. Not really my thing but hey if it’s your thing then I guess I won’t stop you”

“Are you fucking with me?”

Maya lowered her flip phone, Lucas had believed those things to be gone for good.

“Language.” Maya eyes widen.

“You curse like a sailor.” It was true, Lucas had heard her cursing half of the student council and the band several times.

Maya Hart had a thing for the band students which obviously had something to do with the fact that her boyfriend was on it, her encouraging speeches were probably not allow on public.

“Fair enough,”

“Then you accept my apologies?” Lucas furrowed his eyebrows, hopeful.

“Can I ask you a question?” Lucas nodded but Maya was looking at him sideways. “Why do you even apologize if you are looking for the whole acceptance thing? Isn’t that hypocrisy, I mean lets be shitty but I’ll apologize at the end of the day. Very shitty in my opinion”

“I don’t apologize because I want you to think I’m a good person or anything like that. I´m apologizing cuz what I did was wrong”

“Is wrong.” Maya corrected him, her eyes finally sliding to meet his.

She was smirking.

Lucas shook his head and let out a laugh.

“I can’t win with you can I?”

“No, but I encourage competition for the sake of whatever the fuck people usually claim in this you know honor crap”

“Is that a challenge?” Lucas was smiling now.

His face was inches from Maya´. Somehow during their entire conversation they had pulled closer and closer as if they were magnets.

Maya scowled suddenly, pulling away from the table and jumping to the grass, her feet firmly keeping her up.

“Thanks for the apology.” Maya stretched her arms over her back and started her walk towards the cafeteria

Had he somehow startled her?

 

**3 YEARS AGO**

It takes Lucas too long to finish his test and he knows and curses all the way through the last round of questions. He can even hear Riley going on and on about how easy this exam probably was, how she aced the crap out of it and Farkle not even hiding his grin from him.

He sometimes wished he had the kind of courage his friend Zay have, the kind were he would just sit on his desk, legs prop up and a Capri sun on his hands, “I know I’m going to fail this”, he would say and then laugh a good long time before being sent to the principal.

But the thing was that Zay knew and would never ever get to the point of lying to himself about something. He called it “another kind of spirituality”, recognizing and accepting yourself for your fucks up.

Lucas didn’t have that kind of “spirituality” for him knowing that he was going to fuck up something scared the shit out of him. He wasn’t allowed to fail, he needed to be the perfect kid for his parents and for the girl that would always smile at him and encourage him to do better.

Just that right now Lucas didn’t give a single fuck about it.

He wanted to punch his desk open and probably kick down a tree, he didn’t exactly had a thing against nature, but sometimes he couldn’t get along with the idea of nature somehow coming to this world with a purpose clearer than his.

Did he want to be a tree? Well if a tree didn’t have to take a math’s test and recite an oral presentation about Alexander Hamilton then he dammed well would rather be a tree, or be the kid kicking the tree.

Ugh, he knew he wasn’t making any sense, which only left one option.

Lucas rose from his seat ready to hand over his failure of a test when the school alarm started blaring.

“Kids! Out of the classroom now,” Professor Barton said, her voice ringing on Lucas ears which were still stuck on the white noise flaring from the alarm. “FAST”

They all waited outside for the fireman to give the green light. Lucas didn’t care, all the way to the backyard all he had think about was how he had failed his math´s test and would have to talk to his parents about it.

A fireman with a speaker walked out of the school gates. “It’s all clear, false alarm. Just some papers on the third floor that set up the system”

Great, Lucas didn’t even try to find his friends in the mess of students, he regroup with his class and went back to the classroom that 30 minutes ago had officiated the rest of his life.

Was he being dramatic?

Nah

The classroom was just as they had left it in the hurry. School bags and papers scrambled around from when Yogi had tried to get his backpack, only for him to get carry out by Professor Barton.

When Professor Barton takes her place on her desk a look of horror crosses her faces and seconds after that she’s shaking around the entirety of her desk like she had somehow lost the winning ticket to the lottery. Realization starts hitting Lucas.

**PRESENT**

“You are such a bitch Lucas.”

“Thank you Zay.”

“You are welcome, now can you turn to the left.” Zay slurped from his already empty mocha frappe.

“Explain to me why I´m trying on clothes for you again”

Zay threw his empty cup over his shoulder and luckily didn’t miss the garbage container, the girl working on the store even clapped at him which got him eve cockier.

“You are so…”

“Amazing, outstanding, cute?” Zay held his hands over his head. “An angel that fell from heaven”

“You know that…”

“Blah bah Lucifer, whatever Lucas don’t preach to my face when we are on public”

The girl laughed and Lucas groaned.

“Zay”

“Dude I already told you I need to take advantage of you being a halfassed celebrity”

Lucas pulled out the jacked and tossed it to his best friends face.

“Ok, that was rude.” Zay hugged the jacket.

“You just called me a halfassed celebrity!”

“Your point?”

“Maybe I should get another halfassed celebrity as a best friend”

Zay shook his head. “With your social skills and temper you would be better off getting a dog and calling it Zay jr”

“At least it would be cuter than you”

Zay gaped at him and pointed at Lucas. “TAKE THAT BACK!”

And because Lucas loved his best friend he did take it back after making sure he had made a point, and of course Zay made him buy the jacket for his terrible behavior towards his one and only true friend.

***

“How are things with mommy and daddy dearest?”

“Can we not?”

“WHAT I’m actually concerned.” Zay feigned concern.

“No, you are looking for a good way to say, fucking told you”

“CAN YOU SERIOUSLY BLAME ME LUCAS?”

“I´m always on your side, can you be on my side for today?”

“First of that’s bullshit since I´m the one that’s always on your side. And I really care about your drama enough to ask so stop being an unnecessary prick and talk to me.”

Lucas told him the whole family drama, how his parents even after a week would smile eagerly at Lucas each time he got home like they were expecting him to pulled out his girlfriend out of thin air to have dinner with them, which was far from happening since Lucas didn’t have a girlfriend and the girl he would like to address that way was officially taken by a very cool guy.

After his entire rant Lucas felt like lies were pouring out of his pores from an entire week of lying and hiding and sooner or later he would have to come clean about the girlfriend situation, but that meant.

“I would have to date and marry Missy.”

“In that order? That’s fast”

“You know what I mean!” Lucas pushed Zays shoulder.

“Are you sure you are not overreacting? What century are we living on that apparently Missy gave your parents a big enough pig to get your hand”

“It would be the other way around”

“Same shit, just tell them straight up you aint marrying that witch”

“That´s the niceness thing you have said about Missy.”

“Maybe I’m feeling ten times better after band trip.”

Lucas grabbed Zay by the arm.

“WHAT?”

“Yeah, forgot to tell you about it. Well you see, you know Rebecca right? She’s on my chemistry class and she’s hella awesome and hot which is a combination that makes me go you know…” at this Zay let out his breath. “so she’s on band practice and they had this tournament on Friday so I took the bus ride with them and drive the whole way there with Maya, discussing whether Ron Swanson could lead any teen movie and make it ten time better, and maaan…

“YOU WHAT?”

 “Then Rebecca kissed me on the back…”

“Stop STOP”

Zay shut his mouth.

“You spent an entire weekend with Maya?”

“Only till Saturday night. She’s chill, we even shared a bunk bed and Charlie was all nice hugging her till she fell asleep”

Lucas wasn’t jealous, not at all, he was just upset that Zay had set him up a week ago to go to the restaurant Maya worked and now he had gone a on a little trip with her.

This was his way of pissing Lucas off, of making him see how easy it was to be friends with Maya and how Lucas was probably a giant baby for not befriending her in the first place.

“Gosh I love those two you know they make me believe in true love.” Zay nodded.

“I want to go home”

“Come on dude, don’t be like that, I didn’t tell you about it because I knew you would be all pissy about it”

“I´m not being pissy about it, what even?”

“Lucas, I know I tell you this all the time but fuck it’s like you don’t even hear it anymore. Stop living on that head of yours and pay attention to what’s going on around you. It´s our last year, we are fucking seniors, and you holding into a stupid childhood crush that it’s by far impossible isn’t allowing you to be friends with one of the coolest people in school”

But Lucas didn’t want to hear about it.

Zay couldn’t understand not matter how much Lucas used to talk about it until the subject had become unbearable for his best friend.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to let go of a childhood crush and be friends with Maya.

It was that Maya didn’t want to be friends with him.

***

“Dad, mom, I´m going upstairs.” Lucas made a beeline to the stairs only to find his mother arms cutting his way up.

“We have a guest”

“I have got homework,” Lucas mumbled.

“Ohh sweetie I´m sure that can wait.” Her mother pressed a not so comforting hand on his back and led him towards their living room.

 

“That´s delightful! Did you hear it sweetie, I bet you would have love it”

Lucas nodded and proceeded to stuffed as much food as he could on his mouth. So far the evening had been a first course of look how beautiful Missy has gotten with a center filled with unnecessary compliments which Missy conceded unnecessary but was obviously enjoying more than the food itself, and now that they were up to their last course…

Lucas was about to clear his throat and make his escape as the next words hit him hard.

“Lucas how rude can you be for not even telling the name of your girlfriend to your parents, you are being silly.” Lucas didn’t miss Missy´s obvious intent to get him talking.

“I have homework to do, I’ll be going upstairs.”

His mom shot him a don’t you dare look and Lucas was feeling rebellious enough to go break some of their fancy china.

“Missy dear, we are not pressuring,” His father said to Lucas surprise.

Missy seemed taken aback by this. However she regained her confidence in a second.

“Mr. Friar you are being far too nice with your son, he should …”

“Missy enough.” His father cut her.

Missy smiled and reached for her glass of water.

Lucas went back to escape hell plan, only to be stop again.

“Lucas, honey, remember how Missy used to study at Saint Reginald?”

“Yeah”

“I’ll be studying right across from you now!” Missy clasped her hands together and Lucas felt like someone was pulling out a prank on him.

He looked from his father to his mother but no one was laughing.

“Isn’t that great!” Her mom was now celebrating with Missy.

“Also I’ll be moving in!”

“WHAT!” Lucas blurted out louder than necessary.

His father cleared his throat and Lucas clasped his mouth shut.

“Good news sweetie! You see Missy´s parent aren’t coming back till the end of the year, and to have Missy living on her own for that long when we have a perfectly big guest room for her. Besides Missy it’s like family”

Lucas was getting sick.

“And since you two are studying so close transportation won’t be a problem. Imagine it Lucas driving to school with your childhood friend!”

Lucas smiled.

***

“Fascinating, Lucas Friar and me living together.”

“Just to clarify, you are living with my parents. Their house.” Lucas tried closing his door but Missy was holding it with her hand. How the hell had she gotten this strong?

“Tell me Lucas, does this girlfriend of yours likes to visit a lot? Maybe at night when no one is looking…”

“I bet you are dying to know but I´m not about to satisfy your fantasies. Missy get out seriously”

Missy let go of the door instead taking a step forward her body close enough to Lucas. He was starting to hate this new inch difference, now forced to stare directly at Missy’s brown eyes.

“Get. Out”

Missy pressed one of her fingers against Lucas shin, her mouth curling into a pleasant smile. Lucas grabbed her wrist.

“You are not fun anymore”

“Thanks. Now get out of my room”

Missy pushed away from him finally turning to leave.

Only that.

“Guess I’ll meet that girlfriend of yours soon. I mean if she’s even real”  

**1 YEAR AGO**

“You are pathetic” Maya was standing over Lucas.

Lucas swallowed down the pain, he knew legs were not supposed to bend that way, but overall he knew with a certainty that Maya Hart was not supposed to talk like that to Josh Mathews.

“Maya..- I- It was a mistake.” The boy breathed out. “God Maya please you need to understand”

Maya slapped Josh face hard enough to turn his head all the way back. She then clenched her fist and proceeded to leave.

“MAYA!” Josh shouted but Maya didn’t turn back.

 

 


End file.
